inFAMOUS 2

Listen, if you liked inFAMOUS, I have very little notion why you wouldn't enjoy inFAMOUS 2.

Cole McGrath, everyday-courier-turned-electric-conduit continues his adventures, now confronted with a monstrous beast which has destroyed whatever New York is being called these days.  The beast sucks all of Cole's powers away (how convenient) and Cole and friends head to whatever New Orleans is being called these days.

The games has learned its lessons from inFAMOUS prime.  If nothing else, the issue with chain-link fences has been addressed.  In fact, the environments are much more strongly involved in gameplay.  Combat remains nearly identical: you shoot lightning out of your hands, your powers increase with time, etc.

The other "lesson learned" is that blast shards are increasingly easier to find, which is to say that it is still a bit of a pain in the neck, but not the 14-month WHERE-IS-IT endeavor that inFAMOUS presented to me to finally Platinum the game.

This time around, morality is linked to which of the two ladies in the game you'd like to ally yourself to.  The crazy, chaotic Nix or the straight-laced Kuo.  Much as women are keen to do, there are betrayals and hurt-feelings and "come-rescue-me" moments.  But this is a video game, after all, not a treatise on feminism.

The choices remain as unsubtle as ever.  Save the orphans, burn the orphans, etc.

But the game is certainly fun to play and enjoyable to complete the quests that the game presents.  The difficulty amps up a couple times, especially with certain bosses that you experience.

The simple end to this review is this: it's like inFAMOUS, only twoier.

FINALLY

inFAMOUS



Main character Cole, being titularly infamous.

As part of Sony's Welcome Back program, one of the games I picked up was inFAMOUS, a sandbox, free roaming game where you play Cole, a courier who unknowingly unleashed a massive electronic explosion and is now a superhuman with electric powers.  The game's story unfolds as you explore Empire City's three districts, restoring power, taking back the streets from hoodlums, and uncovering the mystery of the explosion that leveled a few city blocks. 

The game is from Sucker Punch, of Sly Cooper fame, and it feel very similar.  On other games, this might be a bit of a bad thing, but for Sly and inFAMOUS, the balance works excellently!  The third-person camera is mostly cooperative (as it was, except for exceedingly painful moments in Sly) and the addition of electronic powers fits nicely.  There's cover, which I despise, but if you go headlong into a bulletstorm and die, the game is mercifully forgiving, starting you at the beginning of missions or in a convenient spawn location.

Considering it was on the docket as a free game, I wasn't sure how well, altogether it would frame up, but I was pleasently surprised at the length, depth, and altogether enjoyment I got out of this game.  More (and spoilers) after the jump.